But "somebody at Discovery knew" of the possible threat to 14-year-old Todd Brown, Muncey said, and getting that kind of information to the right people in time is where Madison will focus now.

Brown died after being shot in the head Friday during a class change at the 1,000-student school. This affluent community that prides itself on a family-friendly lifestyle and superior schools has been reeling since, and almost all of the 1,400 seats in Bob Jones High School's theater were full for a town hall meeting Sunday afternoon.

Muncey said the 14-year-old suspect, who could be certified to stand trial as an adult at a 1:30 p.m. hearing today, "knew the victim, waited for him and pre-planned this."

It was an isolated attack that "had nothing to do with the rumors" circulating in the community, Muncey said. Those rumors include alleged teasing videos posted online, parents at the town meeting said.

Muncey said Discovery Assistant Principal Kevin Wilson took the suspect into custody. Other sources confirmed the boy walked down the 9th grade hallway after shooting Brown still holding a small-caliber handgun. He went into a bathroom where he waited until Wilson entered.

Madison School Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler stressed this was "not a Columbine-type incident or a Virginia Tech-type incident (and) not a distraught individual seeking to harm other individuals."

Instead, Fowler said, "it was an individual making a singular tragic choice."Fowler said he has asked Muncey to chair a school safety task force."All options are on the table," he said.

The task force will also study improving parent-student and student-school communication. "I think we can make the biggest difference by buttressing this side of the equation," Fowler said.

Muncey urged parents to monitor their children's texts, social networking and other ways of communicating.

If they complain about their privacy, Muncey said to tell them what he tells his own son, a Discovery student: "Son, you don't have any privacy."

Parents in the theater erupted in applause.

Fowler defended the decision to open schools tomorrow with extra police security.

"These children need each other," Fowler said. "They have a school home as well as a family home. We absolutely will open our home tomorrow."

School officials say, however, that they will have a liberal absentee policy. After Sunday's meeting, volunteer counselors met in small groups with parents and students, and more counselors will be on hand Monday.

Fowler told parents Madison schools are as safe as he's been able to make them. Security plans are up to date, schools are locked with single points of entry, and each new construction, including Discovery's 9th grade hall, is "designed for optimal observation." Past tests to slip strangers into schools all failed, he said.

"There were teachers less than 10 feet away in the hallway" on Friday, Fowler said, and they ran to Brown's side.

"Our community has lost a huge part of its innocence," Fowler said, adding that "we grieve for the lives of two young men and their parents."

Also speaking Sunday was Jim Stewart, principal of Lincoln County High School, where one student shot another several years ago.

"Folks, it happened," he said of both incidents. "We cannot deny that."

Don't put this behind you, Stewart advised. Don't put it in front, either, because it will be a stumbling block. "Carry it beside you," he advised.

Madison Mayor Paul Finley spoke last saying, "The incident that occurred will not be what defines us. It will be the catalyst for improvement."

Parents seemed to like what they heard. Heads nodded around the theater, and several said afterward they approve of the response so far.

"They've done as good a job as possible," said Rodney Pennywell. "They've been as sensitive as they could be and out front in public."

Attending Sunday to support Madison were a number of public officials including Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.